Product description

The classic bestseller behind this year's biggest movie, this definitive paperback edition features nine illustrations and two maps drawn by J.R.R. Tolkien, and a preface by Christopher Tolkien. Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey 'there and back again'. They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon...The prelude to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit has sold many millions of copies since its publication in 1937, establishing itself as one of the most beloved and influential books of the twentieth century.

Author information

J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 60 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.

Customer reviews

The book cover is very nice and looks great, it is also very light, despite the 300 pages. Really worth buying and reading.

Review quote

'One of the best loved characters in English fiction... a marvellous fantasy adventure' Daily Mail 'Finely written saga of dwarves and elves, fearsome goblins and trolls... an exciting epic of travel, magical adventure, working up to a devastating climax' The Observer 'A flawless masterpiece' The Times

Editorial reviews

One of the 20th century's most popular and influential books, Tolkien's masterpiece tells the saga of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins who is taken away from his quiet life on a magical adventure by the wizard Gandalf. A wonderful concoction of goblins, elves and trolls. (Kirkus UK)